Riparian area is the general term that describes the thick, often forested habitats around any body of water, from wetlands to creeks to sloughs to rivers.  These areas have a different community of plants that that of adjacent upland areas. requiring more water but not necessarily growing in the water like cattails or rushes.

Wetlands are lands that are saturated with or covered by shallow water for part or all of the year creating wet soils and supporting water-loving plants. They vary from very large complexes connected by streams, to small wetlands that lie in poorly drained depressions in the landscape, to fringes along the edges of lakes and rivers. In the Okanagan-Similkameen, the term wetlands can include shallow ponds, marshes, swamps, seasonally flooded fields, seepage areas, and bogs. Even if they dry out completely in summer, they are still classified as wetlands!  Whatever the size, wetlands have habitat that is critical for Okanagan wildlife and provide valuable benefits to humans.

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Unfortunately, wetlands and riparian areas are the most critically endangered habitats in the Okanagan and Similkameen valleys, with some types sustaining over 90% loss.